Started from the bottom....now I'm BLESSED!!!

I left my mom's house at 19 with what little I owned, arrived in VA at 25/26? (can't remember) a stranger, no money, and had EVERYTHING I OWNED stolen (seriously, everything, except one small bag I didn't ship) - even my cell phone was cut off and it made sense, not like I could afford the bill. I couldn't even afford to buy myself a 99 cent fry from McDonalds....Oh I was HUMBLED y'all ...here I am today at 32 with so much. It didn't dawn on me until yesterday just how amazing that story is, it's almost like I'm talking about someone else when I talk about my past struggles...I really did START FROM THE BOTTOM and now I'm here...and no it's not the "top" but when you've been where I been, you don't need the top to know when you've been blessed! Man....I still remember Erica and I having nothing but a 25 cent bag of hot cheetos TO SHARE because we couldn't afford anything else (and that was our meal for the DAY), not having any idea where we gonna sleep that night, praying one of the bus drivers we know would be on the bus so we could get a free bus pass.....ride a lil while. And let's not even talk about stealing water from the house next door for drinking and bathing...NOPE I'm not shame cause I'm NOT there anymore! YES GOD!!!

I can't forget sleeping on people's couches, floors, air mattresses, spare bedrooms because [in my foolishness and it WAS my foolishness] I had no place of my own to call home...I remember the GIRLS (because they surely weren't women) who had more than me at the time, making fun of that fact that I was down.....(smirks, thanks for the motivation!) But most of all - I remember those who opened homes, hands and hearts to help me. THANK YOU.... you know who you are and I've not forgotten you. One day you'll get a token of THANKS from me when you least expect it. Brandi Jarmon especially----regardless of it all heart emoticon I mean I arrived on her doorstep in Virginia with a carry on bag and 0 cents to my name, she never blinked an eye (I'm sure someone will pass the message, please do, no hate here.) I'm thankful. I'm grateful. I'm excited. I'm pleased. I cannot forget those who helped me here.... and for those who often wonder why I'm so fanatical about God, Christ, YHWH, The Divine Being, El Elyon - THIS IS WHY. There's no way I would have survived what I have if it had NOT been for God carrying me (and my momma strengthening me to be able to endure LIFE). I'm sooooooooooooooooooooo proud of me right now I just wanna testify!!! *dancing*

Fools

.....a fool accepts charming words, but a wise man listens with his eyes. I hear what you say, but I listen to what I see. Selah.

How dare you question religion? Easily....this is why....

Putting yourself around people who believe differently than you, brings questions you might not ask if you surrounded yourself with only those who believe as you do. Questioning religion does not mean you question God or your devotion to Him, it simply means you want to find the truth apart from what MAN TELLS YOU to believe. Many equate religion with God and often, one has nothing to do with the other. Remember when Jesus came He didn't come and approve the religious order of the day...He came and showed them a new way "THE WAY" (followers of Christ initially were followers of "the way" not Christians as they were called later). I don't want to follow baptist, protestant, catholic, presbyterian, pentecostal or whatever you call your religious order...I want to follow The Way (and no I don't and won't do everything perfect but I seek Him and His Truth and He will honor that).  Selah.

Lying to feel good about yourself....stop!

..... no matter how many wonderful lies you tell people about yourself - you still live in the reality that they are indeed LIES. Why not deal and dwell in truth? You'll come to regret [your lies] when people expect you to be the fake versions of you that YOU put out there (and you can't). Lying about self/achievements/what you have to impress others = one thing and one thing only INSECURITY. Confident people don't lie about themselves or what they have/have done. I speak from experience because when I was insecure ALL. I. DID. WAS. LIE. to make myself "look good" and it ALWAYS blew up in my face because it's not hard to find the truth....and so I learned to deal in truth and it is freeing. Just deal in truth people. Just. Deal. In. Truth. 

A man wrote, "let's count the number of white guys in this" on a crime story I read... I felt led to respond....

I tried to scroll past this post...as I don't do race baiting arguments...then someone said "FBI data proves that black men commit more violent crimes than ANY OTHER RACE and also black men commit more hate crimes against white people than ANY OTHER RACE. Now I'm sorry....I just couldn't scroll by and let that foolishness sit out there in the public without addressing it. Ignorance is contagious when allowed to fester.....

To the sir stating black people commit more violent crimes than any other race - I'm not sure what FBI website you visited but here's the 2012 report from the FBI website that counters your "truth" Arrests, by Race, 2012 - this is taken from http://www.fbi.gov/.../tables/43tabledatadecoverviewpdf 

Here are ACTUAL arrest statistics from the FBI website for 2012....please stop blurting out opinions that can easily be googled and proved false:

• In 2012, 69.3 percent of all individuals arrested were white, 28.1 percent were black, and 2.6 percent were of other races.

• Of all juveniles (persons under the age of 18) arrested in 2012, 65.2 percent were white, 32.2 percent were black, and 2.5 percent were of other races.

• Of all adults arrested in 2012, 69.7 were white, 27.6 percent were black, and 2.7 percent were of other races.

• White individuals were arrested more often for violent crimes than individuals of any other race, accounting for 58.7 percent of those arrests.

• The percentages of black adults and white adults arrested for murder were similar, with 49.3 percent being black and 48.3 percent being white.

• Black juveniles accounted for 51.5 percent of all juveniles arrested for violent crimes. White juveniles accounted for 61.6 percent of all juveniles arrested for property crimes.

• Of the juveniles arrested for drug abuse violations, 74.0 percent were white.

• White juveniles accounted for 55.2 percent of juveniles arrested for aggravated assaults.

According to that data taken from the FBI website (link in first paragraph) minorities are NOT responsible for the majority of the crime that takes place in America - our crimes are just HIGHLIGHTED. 

Now, again I'm not one that gets caught up in stupid race baiting conversations because this murder  (a smokeshop murder in Houston,TX) has NOTHING to do with race. This was a smoke shop robbery but here we are MAKING it about race - so WHO really are the racists? Is it the people who look at every crime story with their chests puffed out saying "it's not my race" as if people of all races, backgrounds, religions, morals, etc. have not committed murder; or is it those who refute your statements and point out this isn't about race - but a life lost senselessly? I find it absolutely amazing when people who are not considered "minorities" stand up on their soapboxes and disparage black and hispanic communities (in particular) as THUGS whenever the media reports on crime done by individuals in this nation  (as if we DON'T know the media is biased and serves to paint all individuals as thugs who are not white). So if we're deluded because we want to make excuses for minorities committing crimes....then are we not right in thinking you all are deluded in making this about race when it's really about a human bring losing his life?

A HUMAN BEING which we all are, with the same blood, breathing the same air, changing the same world with our stupidities thinking we're smart. It is well known that white people have committed atrocious murders against people who were different from them throughout history - but thankfully, I didn't grow up in a home where we were taught to disparage white people and judge by race. I was taught that a FEW white people were led astray and believed things that were harmful to others and did things that were violent and nasty to their fellow men under the idea of "privilege" BUT that did not constitute the entire race and MOST white people were NOT that way.I was taught to respect, love and treat all people the same regardless of race....which is why I guess when I see media reports of crime my first thought is not - let me tally the race paper today to see if it's blacks or hispanics....it's more so...I feel terrible for the families involved, what can we do better to counter the effects of things like poverty, broken homes, lack of education, poor communities ...and most importantly the ignorance that wants to lie to my fellow brown and black people and tell us WE'RE responsible for ALL the crime in America. We're the ones making the country so violent so horrible - not a combination of individuals - no. 

We forget about the Columbines, Sandy Hooks, Aurora Theater Shootings....things of that sort because of course...those were "isolated incidents" and "those kids needed help they had mental problems" they weren't thugs are anything. Yet, children who are considered minorities can come from the worst backgrounds - facing physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuses from early ages, poor education (due to unequal schools and lack of quality programs/materials in low income or predominantly minority areas) - but these kids don't have "mental problems" they're just thugs with no home training whose parents didn't try, didn't care, or didn't give a damn. If you let some people tell it. The truth is - many of the things faced by minority children in America are things that create PTSD and mental disorders. Yet, when's the last time you saw a black person commit a crime and be tested to see if he or she was competent enough to stand trial? Or if their mental state was well enough for them to know what they were doing? RARELY.

Finally: If you call yourself a person who believes in Christ or you claim to be a christian and the first thing out of your mouth is "it's not my race" please seek the Lord and ask Him to  
touch your heart. For the Word tells us that we are to treat our neighbors and enemies with love. We are not to pass the Samaritan on the road and turn our noses up with pride. We are called to think of others as BETTER than ourselves - not point the finger and put people down. If you really are afraid of black people or hispanics or whatever other race you don't understand - instead of degrading and disparaging them - go into a community program where your ignorance can be tested and you can see that we're not all out here committing crimes. YOU are part of the problem if you look at stories like this and the only thing you have to say is "it's not my race" 

The goal here is to make YOU think and grow..and if you're a Christian - lead you to the TRUTH of Christ. Because in Christ there is no RACE or division - if you are true. Be blessed my brothers and sisters regardless of race. I may not agree with your views but I pray for your hearts to do something better with your words than discrediting an entire community based on few. Selah.

YAHWEH'S GLORY!

......Have you ever noticed how patient God is in revealing His truth?

It's amazing....and awe inspiring.
To reside in a world where we so condemn...
HE
Who created
ALL
Yet, I live and breath.

He could...if He were moved by the thoughts of men
make a frantic effort to prove Himself true
He could reveal things unknown
release understanding of that we misSunderstand?

Do you think He could not?
He Who created the mountains
and laid the lands under our feet
Who stretched out plains and fields of wheat for us to consume for generations on end
Who commands the winds to stillness
the waters to lay bare
Who brings storms of fire, yet blesses with springs of abundant rain

He blew breath in us
But we don't believe
Him
in Him
of Him
or His Might
Lest we repent and redeem ourselves through His gift of salvation

Oh, but WE. NEED. A. SIGN.
He must PROVE. HIMSELF. THE GOD.
to be served.
THE GOD, to be loyal.
THE GOD, to be true.
THE GOD, to give blessing
without sacrifice on our part.
(Though none others we serve are held to this task)
willingly we follow idols of every kind
Without question
Knowing not we are blind...

But we LOOK for a sign
WE LOOK FOR A SIGN
not seeing because we cannot
blaspheming because we think we can
speaking upon things we know nothing about

For we say God Should Be THIS
And He should be THAT
For God cannot be and cannot do and cannot say
are not idols made this way?

How can man serve a "god" to whom they dictate?

Ahhhh......but Sovereign God is patient
He needs not prove Himself to man
He knows His Word to be True
He knows His Plans Will Succeed
He knows His Children Will Survive under His Right Hand

He is patient in revealing His truths
....that you may not be lost. 

Now we see but a portion...
Soon! We shall see in full.
Then we shall rejoice and say YHWH BE TRUE ALL MEN BE A LIE!


LET THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM REJOICE! AND THE TRIBES OF ISRA'EL SAY AMEN! 

YHWH WILL REVEAL HIMSELF IN GLORY, AND ALL WHO STAND AGAINST HIM WILL FALL!!!

SELAH. 

Do you trust God....to death?

.... in the bible, none of the willing servants of God went to their deaths unexpectedly or "suddenly". There was no "wrong place, wrong time", there was no "why Lord, why?" from those left behind because God prepared them even for death --- and they in turn prepared their families/flocks. From the Patriarchs, to the Prophets, to the Apostles....each man of God was aware when his time was near and they were at peace in this. This brings a greater understanding of His love and faithfulness as YHWH. He will see us through all things...even into death. It also shines a beautiful light on the kinds of relationships we can have with YHWH....to be so content, so connected, so IN TRUST with Him that NOTHING, NOT EVEN DEATH, can shake you or cause you to fear. To walk in total trust and surrender with the Lord that I might have peace even into death..... this is my desire. Selah.

"Yeshua declared publicly, “Those who put their trust in Me are trusting not merely in Me, but in the One who sent Me. Also those who see Me see the One who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who trusts in Me might not remain in the dark. If anyone hears what I am saying and does not observe it, I don’t judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. Those who reject Me and don’t accept what I say have a judge — the word which I have spoken will judge them on the Last Day. For I have not spoken on my own initiative, but the Father who sent Me has given Me a command, namely, what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command is eternal life. So what I say is simply what the Father has told Me to say.” John 12: 44-50 (CJB)

When the Church Goes Secular.....

These days....I can't tell if these ministries/church leaders are promoting God or themselves. These fliers look like club flyers.... The churches are imitating the world...people collecting and handing out titles of Bishop, Pastor, Prophet, Evangelist, etc. as if they're secular jobs, in accordance with THEIR will - NOT GODS'. These churches pulling secular themes/phrases to draw people in, meanwhile there's nothing within the church to transform/fill/restore them because it's not about God, but the promotion of self! To the leaders in these churches/ministries, should we not pattern our outreach after Christ? Should we not follow the example given by the Christ's servant Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:1 - 5? This is one reason why so many are in church for 50 years still broken -- you can't be fixed by what's broken! We are not called to imitate the world AT ALL. I can't imagine Jesus or any one of the apostles posting a ministry flier with their faces plastered all over them!!!! REALLY?!?!? I can't see Jesus taking a selfie that's "seductive" and posting it on Facebook with the scripture or word of the day....or worse yet - a prayer. STOP!!!

WHO! WHO! WHO!!!! Are we serving here? WHO are we promoting? Self or Christ? If Christ, why is there so much FLESH in the things that are supposed to be of Spirit? I'm NOT talking about MEN being perfect....we know that's not the case. But I'm referring to the leaders who claim these titles and birth these ministries...and should know better. The stunts and shows are real - y'all better start paying attention to the fruit of these ministers and ministries that people so willingly and blindly follow. We have to do better......this is not a rant. It's the truth. I am NOT at all perfect, but fear and respect the Lord God YHWH and the things we've done to His church in His name....Father have mercy is all I can pray. I too am guilty of this because I at one time participated in such acts. Not anymore.

NOTE: If you're upset by this post - take it up with God, not me I will not respond or engage in your defenses nor defend what God has laid on my heart. Let your heart be yours and mine be mine. Selah.